What does "sick" mean?
Vomit.
Sick
/sɪk/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Vomit.
- Grammar: sick is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ill, abnormal, affected, afflicted.
- Useful contrasts: normal, ok, boring.
- Usage evidence: He was sick of being vilified all the time by people who were jealous of his ability.
How to use "sick"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sick" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sick" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sick" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sick" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sick" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ill" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sick", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Vomit. Australia, British, colloquial, uncountable
"[…] they're spitting and belching chunks of lentilly gunk. Looks like sick."
- 2 people who are sick wordnet
- 3 (especially in the phrases on the sick and on long-term sick) Any of various current or former benefits or allowances paid by the Government to support the sick, disabled or incapacitated. British, colloquial, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To vomit. Australia, British, colloquial
"I woke up at 4 am and sicked on the floor."
- 2 Alternative spelling of sic (“set upon”). alt-of, alternative, rare
""Wapi," she almost screamed, "go back! Sick 'em, Wapi—sick 'em—sick 'em—sick 'em!""
- 3 eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth wordnet
- 4 To fall sick; to sicken. intransitive
"Our great-grandsire, Edward, sick'd and died."
Adjective
- 1 In poor health; ill.
"We have to care for the sick."
- 2 In poor health; ill.; [with with] Afflicted by (a specific condition, usually medical).
"She was sick all day with the flu."
- 3 Having an urge to vomit.
"My daughter was violently sick three times in the night."
- 4 Mentally unstable, disturbed. colloquial
"You sick bastard!"
- 5 In bad taste. colloquial
"That’s a sick joke."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 [with of] Tired of or annoyed by (something that has lasted a long time or often recurs).
"sick and tired of the whining—sick of waiting—'sick of politics"
- 7 Very good, excellent, awesome, badass. slang
"This tune is sick."
- 8 In poor condition.
"sick building syndrome; my car is looking pretty sick; my job prospects are pretty sick"
- 9 Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified.
Adjective
- 1 shockingly repellent; inspiring horror wordnet
- 2 deeply affected by a strong feeling wordnet
- 3 having a strong distaste from surfeit wordnet
- 4 affected with madness or insanity wordnet
- 5 (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function wordnet
- 7 feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German.
Example
"He was sick of being vilified all the time by people who were jealous of his ability."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sick"?
Common synonyms include: ill, abnormal, affected, afflicted, ailing, ailing.
How do you use "sick" in a sentence?
He was sick of being vilified all the time by people who were jealous of his ability.
How do you pronounce "sick"?
Pronounced /sɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch ziek, German siech, Norwegian Bokmål syk, Norwegian Nynorsk sjuk, Danish syg; also Middle Irish socht (“silence, depression”), Old Armenian հիւծանիմ (hiwcanim, “I am weakening”). The "very good, excellent" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "in poor health". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and wicked.
Etymology 2
Variant of sic, itself an alteration of seek.
Etymology 3
* As a Dutch and German surname, shortened from names like Siegfried, Siegmund and similar. Compare Sieck, Zeek. * As a Czech surname, Americanized from Šik; also Slovene, Carpathian Rusyn, and Serbo-Croatian Šic, converged from several origins such as síč (“sower”), the source of Schuetz, or Slavicized from Hungarian szűcs (“furrier”). Compare Shick.